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Ford J Car 1966 Le Mans Trials Ford leadership decided in 1965 they needed a new, made in the USA, lighter and more aerodynamic GT for Le Mans. They teamed with Kar Kraft and Brunswick to build an aluminum honeycomb chassis and Ford Styling came up with a dramatic new body shape. For the Le Mans trials in April 1966 the all new J Car was introduced and dubbed the Pickle Fork (your grandmother or mechanic will know what that means). Here as it arrived at the local Peugeot dealership where Ford rented garage space for their J Car and MK IIs. During the trials it was found the rear end was lifting and a spoiler was fitted. I also believe IBM used it as a test bed for their new electronic timing system. The MPC 1/25th J Car Model. The MPC model was unique in that it had a body molded in clear plastic and had a detailed chassis. I got this model as a built up with a chassis painted to match the box art. There was damage to the suspension which had to be fixed and glue smudges to the windows had to be fixed. A periscope rear view mirror was missing and had to be made. I had decided to paint it to match the J Car as it was at the trials. The rear end needed to be revised to match its configuration at the trials. The taillights were changed, the spoiler was added, and the tacked-on IBM transponder attached. Decals came from the parts box. Thanks for looking and comments are welcome. There is a WIP thread too. Oops, just noticed the NACA ducts are missing in the tail.

* I goofed on the date, it was April 1966. This project is to convert an 1/25 MPC Ford J Car with a clear body to the car as it appeared at Le Mans in April 1966 for the trials. The major changes to the MPC kit besides paint was to convert the rear panel to a new configuration. It was here that I noticed the different taillight and other changes to the rear panel. From the parts box came some new wide taillights to be mounted on a raised area. I use Bondo Surface Putty after trying Tamiya and Miliput putty and finding the Bondo works best for me. Then added a border abound the taillights and transmission and exhaust pipe opening. I also decided to tone down the mag wheels by spraying them with aluminum and applying Tamiya Smoke (thanks Rich) to the center fins. I also decided to leave the chassis the way it is since to repaint everything would mean disassembling all the pieces. The original builder used the box art for the chassis.

Since I have been on a string of GT40 completions I decided I needed to add a J Car to the flock. Not just any J Car but a prototype at Daytona during testing in 1966. No fancy decals or details. I had started this one almost 2 decades ago using a Strombecker 1/24 scale body. But like a lot of slot bodies it was too wide, especially in the front so it had to be narrowed and I used a Le Mans Miniatures MK IV for comparison. Which brings us to today with the first coat of primer and putty on the narrowed body. Now I confess I am taking the easy and quick way out and will be using a Fujimi GT40MKII chassis and interior. It will be our little secret. Next up will be more sanding, primer, and scribing panel lines for the doors. Here is a good link: IMC: Ford GTP J-car rescue - WIP: Model Cars - Model Cars Magazine Forum